Caloundra Aerodrome Community and Aviation Forum

The Caloundra Aerodrome Aviation Forum met on the morning of Wednesday October 1st. This meeting was conducted at the Sunshine Coast Airport Management Centre at Marcoola.

4 Management Committee members from BeCA attended the meeting.

Of special interest to Bellvista/Bells Reach residents was that the next anticipated series of helicopter training sessions from Becker Helicopters expected to begin in September is now not going ahead. Instead the next series of training is expected to begin in March 2015.

SC Airport Management and Cr Baberowski reported on progress of the establishment of a Helicopter Satellite Training Area. There are two proposals in the pipeline, a short term solution supported by a large local developer and a long term option supported by the State Government. The short term solution requires Council approvals and other red tape. The long term solution requires less. It appears the long term permanent solution may even be in place before approvals etc are in place for the short term solution.

Our local MP Mark McArdle and Cr Rick Baberowski have been working hard towards a solution and are buoyed by the progress being made on the long term solution. Both Chopperline and Becker Helicopters have been involved with the process and are excited and looking forward to supporting the new Helicopter Satellite Training Area. Access to the area will be by invitation only, that means Becker Helicopters and Chopperline will sign agreements on the use of the new area and make commitments to put as much training as possible at the new area.

This is marvellous news for Bellvista and Bells Reach residents.

The major purpose of this Aviation Forum Meeting was to outline plans for the new SC Airport Runway. The current runway receives special dispensation from CASA to allow current smaller passenger jet aircraft from Virgin and Jetstar to land at Maroochydore.

Flights to Auckland have their outgoing passenger list limited to enable fully fuelled aircraft to fly safely from Maroochydore. The same situation is in place for local flights to Adelaide. This severely limits export of products from the Sunshine Coast and the destinations which can be directly serviced for tourism and export growth.

For improved tourism numbers and export opportunities the new fully complicit runway planned for completion if 2020 is essential. A fully complicit runway would make SE Asia and Australia wide destinations for exports and tourism growth accessible.

There are several projects underway which are designed to make the Sunshine Coast area grow and become more self sufficient. The Sunshine Coast University Hospital will see the sunshine Coast area home to the largest medical precinct in the southern hemisphere. The Horton Park redevelopment will see a major new city centre be built, from the ground up!

So growth is crucial to the further development of our area. The new international standard runway is seen as another plank in the future growth of the Sunshine Coast.

In the near future you will see and hear more about the “Airport Environmental Impact Statement” with numerous presentations planned across the Sunshine Coast. BeCA will be inviting SC Airport representatives to give one of these presentations at its March 2nd 2015 Meeting.